Billed Confession
by JenRar
Summary: Ranger does some security work for Stephanie's parents and finally admits his feelings for Stephanie. But who does he admit them to?


_Disclaimer: JE owns them. I do not._

~oooOOOooo~

**Billed Confession**

~oOo~

**Ranger's POV**

I was so glad this month was almost over.

Last week, I'd just gotten back from surveillance when Binkie called from the control room to tell me Steph's car had blown up outside the bonds office. I'd raced over, heart pounding when I couldn't reach her on her cell phone. Luckily, she'd been walking inside already when it happened, or I could've lost her. My heart clenched at the thought of living my life without her in it.

Yesterday, her parent's house had been broken into, and a note had been left on the table for Steph. The idiot stalker had signed it, so Tank, Lester, Bobby, and I had picked him up and taken him in after calling the police to come get the note and any fingerprints. That had scared Frank and Helen Plum enough that Steph mentioned they were thinking of getting an alarm system. I'd finally gotten a phone call this morning from Frank about coming over to take a look and see what I would recommend. He'd said he would be out this afternoon, but Helen would be home and that he'd leave a note with some questions about it.

I called Steph.

"Yo," she answered, laughing.

"Babe." I gave her my full smile, even knowing she couldn't see me. "Want to go with me this afternoon to look at your parents' house?"

"Sure! What time? Want to pick me up or meet you there?"

I chuckled. "Three o'clock, and I'll meet you there in case you want to stay for dinner. I have surveillance again tonight, so I can't stay."

_As if I really wanted to._

I'd known she would want to come with me to her parents' house. It's one thing if a stalker involved just her, but she hated it when they involved me or her family. Only my Babe would care more for everyone else's safety than her own.

When we got to the house, Helen handed me an envelope with two pieces of paper inside from Frank. One was addressed to Ranger, the other to Carlos. I slid the one for Carlos into my back pocket, assuming it was personal, and showed the other to Helen and Steph.

We walked around the perimeter of the house, and I pointed out where I thought motion sensors and lights should go. When we went inside, I jotted down notes about windows and alarms, good places to put keypads, and other various security issues Frank could make a decision on. After an hour, I headed back to RangeMan, leaving Steph to eat dinner with her parents.

When I got back to my office, I closed the door, pulled out the envelope, and sat down at my desk to read.

~oOo~

_Carlos,_

_I know we don't know each other very well, but I do know my daughter trusts you._

_You know that Stephanie's had a pretty rotten history with men. First, her cheating husband, Dickie. Morelli wasn't much better. It took her a lot longer to realize he was a rotten apple, and I know it hurt her much more. I don't want to see her hurt like that again._

_I'm not going to mention to Stephanie that I'm asking you this. What you do with the question and answer is your business and between you and Stephanie. But Stephanie's happiness IS my business. Because of that, I want to know... What are your feelings for my daughter? Furthermore, what are your plans regarding those feelings?_

_Please don't call me. I don't want Stephanie to know I've talked with you about this. If you feel like you can't answer my questions, just ignore this note. I'ld like it if you did answer me, though. Just leave a note with the bill when you send it, and I'll get it. Helen and Stephanie won't find it there._

_Thank you for your time and for your help with the security._

_Frank Plum_

~oOo~

I groaned. I knew I loved Steph. I thought she loved me as well, but neither of us had said the words out loud. I wasn't sure how to answer Frank, so I decided to give it some thought until the security job was done.

~oOo~

**A Week Later**

The job at the Plum house finished yesterday, and they were now more secure than they'd ever been. I had the bill for Frank sitting in front of me on the desk. I wasn't going to tell Steph or her father that I was only charging half the standard rate. Honestly, I would have done it for free, but I knew Steph would hate that. Whatever it took to keep my Babe and her family safe, I'd do. Therefore, I went as low as I could without it raising suspicion. I was trying to figure out how to say what I wanted to say about his questions. Finally, I just pulled the bill to me and began to write.

~oOo~

_Frank,_

_Here's the bill for the security. Pay when you can. No rush. As per your questions, I love your daughter. I haven't told her that because I know her feelings toward men are still raw after finding out about Morelli and Terry. I do hope to tell her someday. I'm just hoping she'll come to her own conclusion that she loves me first. I want to give her that choice and make it her own, rather that it being a reaction to my words._

_I've changed a lot in the nearly four years I've known Stephanie. Due to the nature of my job, relationships just weren't in the best interest of myself or anyone I was involved with. When I met Steph, she changed me. I began to want things I hadn't even dreamed about before. If Stephanie ever feels for me what I feel for her, I plan on asking her to be my wife._

_I hope that answers your questions. I also hope you realize that my love for your daughter is unconditional. I love Stephanie just as she is, and no matter where our relationship takes us, there will never be another meant for me._

_Carlos_

~oooOOOooo~

**Stephanie's POV**

I walked into my parents' house and pressed the code for the alarm into the keypad by the door. My parents were out, and I'd just dropped Grandma off at the beauty parlor. My dad had asked me to stop by and grab the check for RangeMan for the security system. I walked into the kitchen to grab the check from the counter, but it wasn't where Dad had said it would be.

I made my way back to his office, wondering if he'd forgotten it on his desk. Sure enough, there was the check. When I saw the amount, I knew it was too low.

What in the world had Ranger done?

I glanced around to see if I could spot the bill. When I found it, I pulled it out to read the charges.

I sighed when I read the amounts. I knew for a fact that a system this size was almost double what he'd charged my parents. I supposed I should be grateful he was taking any money at all. He knew I'd hate it if he'd paid for it all himself. I was just about to put the bill down when I noticed his beautiful script down at the bottom. No one had ever accused me of minding my own business, so with that in mind, I began to read.

When I got to the end, my legs nearly gave out. I dropped myself down into my dad's chair. Ranger loved me. From his words, it sounded as if he loved me as much as I loved him. Even still, I was scared.

I'd figured out long ago that I'd never really loved Dickie like I should have. That didn't mean my heart hurt less when he cheated not long after our wedding.

Then there was Joe... He and I had a history together longer than anyone, other than my family and Mary Lou. He'd been my first "sexual" experience at age six, when he'd tricked me into playing choo-choo in the garage. At sixteen, in the Tasty Pastry behind the counter, he'd taken my innocence. Not that I hadn't freely given it, but he'd abused that privilege by sharing about it with the entire town. Then, when we finally got together as a couple, we'd had a rocky relationship for over three years. I'd loved Joe, but finding him with Terry had devestated me.

The betrayal I'd felt had nearly crushed me. The only thing that had saved me was Ranger. He'd refused to let me wallow in self pity, forcing me to work out, to run, to train. He'd constantly praised me, never letting me believe myself to be anything less than wonderful. I'd loved him before, but it was during this time that I'd known I was more in love with him than I'd thought possible. So yeah, I was scared. Even knowing his feelings, I was scared to trust my judgement of men.

I must have sat there with my thoughts longer than I'd realized, because soon, my dad came through the door.

"Stephanie? What's wrong?"

"Dad, I'm sorry. I came over to get the check for RangeMan, and it wasn't in the kitchen. I came back here to look and found it. I was leaving, but something caught my eye, and I'm sorry, I read it, and I shouldn't have," I babbled.

He looked at the paper in my hand and smiled. "It's okay, honey. What bothered you about it?"

I sighed. "I'm scared, Dad. After Dickie and that rat-bastard Joe, I know I'm a horrible judge of character when it comes to men. I couldn't stand it if Ranger betrayed me like they did. I nearly didn't make it after Joe, so if it happened again, with Ranger this time, I don't know if I could ever recover."

"Honey, Carlos is a good man. He's different than Joe and most certainly different than Dickie. Think about it, Stephanie. Every time during the last few years that you've had a problem, who do you call? Who comes to your rescue? Who supports you without criticizing? Who shows you his true feelings through his actions every single day, without asking for anything in return?"

"Oh my God! He loves me!" I said, incredulous. It suddenly felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders. "He really loves me, Dad! Not for who I can be, but for who I am. Neither Dickie nor Joe ever did that. Dickie never loved me at all, really, and Joe loved who he wanted me to be, not who I really was."

I grinned, jumped up, and grabbed my dad around his shoulders in a huge hug. "Thanks, Dad! I love you! I gotta go!" I threw the bill down on the desk, grabbed the check, and ran out the door.

~oooOOOooo~

**A Week Later  
Ranger's POV**

Steph was spending the night at my place tonight. I'd had Ella make us a romantic dinner, and now we were curled up under the blanket on the couch. Steph was sprawled half on top of me as we watched **Ghostbusters**. We'd seen this movie what felt like thousands of times, but my Babe just couldn't get enough of it. Finally, the movie was over, and Steph began drifting off to sleep on my chest.

I carefully sat up, picking her up in my arms, and made my way to the bedroom. I set her down on the edge of the bed and told her to wake up long enough to get ready to sleep. She nodded and padded to the bathroom. After taking care of nature and brushing her teeth, she came back and changed into one of my T-shirts. I gave her a quick kiss and headed into the bathroom, a clean pair of my silk boxers in my hand.

A couple of minutes later, I flipped off the light and slid into bed, pulling Steph up against me. Her head nestled itself onto my shoulder, and she gave me a soft kiss on my jaw. Then I felt her lips smile against my neck.

"Babe?" I asked curiously.

"So, Batman..." she started, pausing a moment. "When are you going to marry me?" Her voice was light and felt like a caress around my heart.

My eyes went wide, and I looked down into her beautiful blue eyes. "Babe..." I wasn't sure how to respond.

"I love you, Carlos. I realized a few months ago how much in love with you I really was, but I was scared. I realized today that I have no need to be scared anymore. You haven't said it yet, but I think you love me, too. Every day, I feel your love for me wrap itself around me. Every word, every gesture, every action, every touch. Everything you do or say is like another string that ties your heart to mine in a permanent bond. So, Carlos, I'm asking you, when are you going to marry me?"

My heart soared at her words. "Babe."

She laughed, and it was the most wonderful sound I'd ever heard.

"Anytime, Babe. I love you more than I ever dreamed possible. _Tú eres mi vida, _Stephanie Michelle Plum._ Voy a ser tuyo para siempre. Usted robó mi corazón hace cuatro años cuando caminaba en mi vida. Quiero estar con ustedes para la eternidad._"

She looked so puzzled, I simply had to say it again in English. "You are my life, Stephanie Michelle Plum. I will be yours forever. You stole my heart four years ago when you walked into my life. I want to be with you for eternity." Kissing her softly, I continued, "I will ask you to marry me. Of this, there is no doubt."

She sighed a contented sigh, and soon, I felt her breathing begin to even out. The last thing I heard before slipping into sleep were her whispered, breathy words.

"I love you. You are my life, Carlos. Forever."


End file.
